Damian Priest reaches record milestone as United States Champion

There may have been no Cody Rhodes on Raw’s 1500th episode last night, but the show was marked by a WWE record milestone in the championship ranks. 

In defeating Shelton Benjamin on last night’s show, Damian Priest became the longest reigning United States Champion of the brand spilt era. Reaching a record-breaking 186 days with the US belt around his waist. 

It’s the longest US Championship reign since Dean Ambrose held the belt for 351 days between 2013 and 2014, which remains the longest overall stint with the strap, but Priest’s record covers the period from when Raw and SmackDown separated in 2016. 

Since joining the main roster as an entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble, Priest has continued to rack up some impressive WWE feats. He had one of the standout matches at last year’s WrestleMania, where he teamed with rapper Bad Bunny to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, before defeating Sheamus at SummerSlam to claim the US Title win.

The Archer of Infamy also held the underappreciated record of going an entire calendar year without being pinned on WWE TV. In fact, his defeat to Kevin Owens at the end of January was the first-time anyone had got a three-count on Priest since his move to Monday Night Raw.

Given the list of accomplishments so far for the 39-year-old, it’s no surprise that his name was dropped by Edge last night on Raw as a hint to who The Rated R Superstar’s WrestleMania opponent could be. The pair have enjoyed some backstage interaction since Edge’s return to the company and also met physically during The Royal Rumble match, but it looks as though WWE are considering throwing Damian a WrestleMania high-profile spot against the Hall of Famer. 

Priest’s next defence is set to be next week on Raw when he goes